Velázquez, Diego Rodríguez de Silva y

Sevilla (Spain), 1599 - Madrid (Spain), 1660

Portrait of a Man

Ca. 1623. Oil on canvas

The pragmatic of January 1623 that dictated a new dress code and has since been used to date what is thought to be the portrait of Pacheco can also be used as a guide for the present work, as the model wears the type of collar that became popular following its application. The tight and detailed brushstrokes, rather hard modeling, and a very directed light are also congruent with Velázquez’s technique during the period of transition that spans his final years in Seville and his definitive move to the Court. Another customary aspect of his portraits from the 1620s is his use of a very limited range of colors based essentially on the blacks appearing in most male clothing at that time, tan and pink flesh tones for the faces and gray or dark brown in the backgrounds. As also occurred with his Portrait of a Gentleman, there has been considerable speculation about the identity of the person portrayed here, and various authors have suggested it may be someone from the painter’s family. His apparent age, the way he turns his head towards the viewer, his fixed gaze and the similarity between his facial features and those of Saint John the Evangelist in Patmos (London, National Gallery) have even led some to think it may be a self-portrait. Others have pointed out the possibility that it could be Velázquez’s brother, Juan. There is, however, no solid basis for any of these hypotheses. The mystery of the model’s identity also extends to the painting’s provenance, as it does not appear in any of the numerous inventories of the Royal Seats made during the 17th and 18th centuries. And yet, it was undoubtedly in the Royal Collections, as it has been on exhibit at the Museo del Prado since 1819.